Half Peak with its dramatic North Face standing guard over the Weminuche.

Ben and I have been on a bit of a tear this summer. Blitzkrieg is a word often used to describe a few of our trips and while they have been nothing but excellent, it makes you appreciate a trip in which you are afforded the ability to get to your destination early, snag 1st dibs on a campsite, and enjoy perfect weather all weekend. “Stress-free” was thrown around a lot this past weekend and we savored every minute of it.

The obligatory group shot at Maroon Lake. From left to right: Dillon, Anna-Lisa, Ben, Lonni, Larry, Nathan, Laura, and Karen. Where’s Andrew Gordon?

Over the weekend I had the privilege of backpacking the 4 Pass Loop in the Elks with Benny, Anna-Lisa and a great group of friends from their church group. Having had a few days to reflect on the journey, many words come to mind; intense, amazing, beautiful, fun, just to name a few, but I think the word that conveys the journey best is special. The Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness is in a class by itself and I thought it best to let the pictures tell the story.

After spending most of the week wishing I was still running around in the Weminuche and the San Juans, I was itching to go for a walk. These days when hitting the trail solo, I’m usually en route to the Park or catching up on some of the easier Centennials. On Sunday, with a morning to spare and a small weather window, I decided a trek into the Tenmile range was in order. Centennials Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft.) and Pacific Peak (13,950 ft.) were the perfect candidates being just a short jaunt up Mayflower Gulch and if the weather held, I could possibly take a stab at Fletcher and Drift.

Mount Adams looming large over South Crestone Lake.The beasts of the Sangres.

With my snowshoes on Craigslist and Ben and Brian’s skies packed away for the season, it was finally time to dust off the trail shoes, strap on our 8 lb. packs, and kick off the unofficial start to the summer of 2014. The Sangres were an easy choice with the amount of snow still lingering around the rest of Colorado, and Adams and it’s surrounding 13ers were more than a worthy objective.